Sunday, October 9, 2016

NIA inks pact with San Fabian for sustained farm technology

URDANETA CITY -As agriculture is the biggest user of fresh water, the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) inked a memorandum of agreement with irrigators in Pangasinan to sustain the farm technology.

The tripartite MOA was among the NIA, the local government unit of San Fabian and the Federation of Irrigators Association of the said town.

Engr. John Celeste, regional manager of NIA, said the three parties recognize that the Philippines is considered as one of the most vulnerable countries in Asia to climate change.

“To mitigate the impact of climate change in agriculture, the International Rice Research Institute developed a technique to save and use irrigation water more efficiently and this is the alternate wetting and drying technology (AWD),” Celeste said during the communication advocacy network conference in Urdaneta City.

He said LGU-San Fabian has been implementing the AWD and therefore needs to be sustained.

“Efficient water management is important for a successful and sustainable rice production,” Celeste added.

Bernie Dispo, president of the Federation of Irrigators Association in San Fabian, was thankful for the continuous help of the government to farmers to increase their crop productivity as more than one-half of San Fabian residents are in the agriculture industry.

Mayor Constante Agbayani, for his part, said he has always prioritized agriculture and the welfare of the farmers, being a farmer himself.

He said the LGU has allocated P5-million for agriculture and palay seedlings are given for free to farmers. Procurement of water pumps worth P100,000 is in the works and farmers are advised to join Lakbay Aral tours to increase their knowledge on farming.